What Is The Rationale

"This is a truly sad day - to know that we lost six 12-year old kids at Mount Kinabalu's earthquake. I honestly cannot understand the rationale of sending kids at this age to a leadership programme in a tough terrain." ~ Pastor Barnabas Chong





"The question goes beyond what are the specific thresholds and abilities of particular kids. We should start with the end in mind - what lessons do we want to impart to the kids ? Then we look at the options - In school camp, OBS, overseas trip, overseas camp, climb a mountain and so on. When viewed in that manner, the mountains expedition appears to be one of the more costly and involved options to achieve the goals desired. The age of the children should then be factored in as a consideration. That is, in those options, what is most suitable for 12 year olds in general ? I agree accidents do happen and often are unavoidable no matter how careful one is. However, when you consider what they were trying to achieve, there are many other options with a more controlled environment, less cost and less risk." ~ Beng Ti Tan





"At 12 having teachers purpose and plan and parents to consent while you tell kids how glorified they will be as student leaders is not an accountable situation. The kids can't judge for themselves and teachers and parents each have their own concerns. 16 onwards would be a more accountable age. In the meantime, there are many outbound schools and camp sites in and around Singapore which can achieve the same objective. There isn't a need to go abroad for 2 nights to impart the desired lessons to the kids." ~ Beng Ti Tan






"There are so many ways to learn, such as rock climbing at Sports Hub. Before an excursion is planned, the organizers must ensure that the external environment is safe." ~ James Tan